LOVE NEVER FAILS
Overview: 2015 Love Never Fails Initiative Project Target: The disenfranchised living in the Arab world • Victims of war • Women at risk • Persecuted communities • Seekers Fear or Love? Beheadings, fleeing refugees, persecution. As we watch today’s headlines from the Arab world, we feel helpless. We know that God calls us to love, but how is it possible in the face of such turmoil, hatred and suffering? Satan’s weapon is fear, and he uses it to ensnare followers of Islam and counteract the advancement of the gospel. A former terrorist from war-‐torn Somalia who came to faith in Jesus said, Project Approach: Tailor-‐made content on social media outlets and Maarifa.org Fundraising Goal: $400,000 Pioneers desires to glorify God through launching church-‐planting movements. Since 1979, we have carried the gospel to difficult and unreached places. Today, the Pioneers movement has grown to include 2,985 total members around the world. These teams serve over 205 people groups in 101 different nations. When you look at me on the street, you see my Muslim hat and my beard and you are afraid of me. And, to tell you the truth, that is why we dress this way—to make you afraid of us. But you need to know that inside, we are empty. Don’t be afraid of us. We need the gospel. It is only when we see Muslims of the Arab world through the eyes of Christ that we will be able to respond with love, not fear. We stand on God’s promise that love never fails. Compelled by the love of Jesus, Pioneers’ media… Page 1 ...ministry, Arab World Media, has launched the 2015 Love Never Fails Initiative. We desire to see the marginalized, lost and disenfranchised living in the Arab world experience God’s perfect love, which casts out all fear. their Internet connection, they are able to hear the good news that God loves them and has sent them a Savior. This year, we will focus our media outreach on four key segments of Muslim society: 1) victims of war, 2) women at risk, 3) persecuted communities and 4) seekers. Threats of kidnapping and targeted killings mean that our members are often severely limited in their movements in many of these places. Sometimes they are no longer able to maintain a presence in the country at all. Yet Media continues to have a wide open door. Our prayer is that the Christ-‐centered love and care we share will draw Muslim peoples to put their faith in Christ, like the ex-‐Muslim in Israel who said, We have an opportunity to share a love that casts out all fear and offers hope through Christ. 2. Women at Risk Women across the Arab world have been abused, misused, humiliated, oppressed, assaulted and raped in alarming numbers. War has torn apart their families and lives. They are crushed and without hope. Jesus wants to compassionately care for them and restore them. Your care for me made me interested in Jesus, His Word and getting to know Him more. I want to grow deeper in my relationship with Him. 1. Victims of War Pioneers’ Arabic media content addresses sensitive subjects like depression, sexual abuse, anxiety and forgiveness. We offer hurting women hope and freedom found only in God’s love and forgiveness. One woman told us, Societies in the Arab world are descending into chaos and violence. In the desperate war-‐torn countries of Libya, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, people are overcome by fear and dread. Their homelands are being destroyed and, according to the UN, becoming failed states. It is no wonder that we receive messages such as this: Your follow-‐up and care made me feel special and encouraged. Your prayer for me makes me walk above all problems. Just in the past three months, Behind The Veil, a video which points women to someone who can help, has been viewed 18,000 times. And social media gives us an unprecedented opportunity to love those who are suffering. From September 2013 to September 2014, we have served and supported over 1.2 million women in need! I so desperately want to know more about Christ. I don’t know why, but a strange feeling comes over me, and I am afraid of everything around me. Muslims caught in war feel isolated from the outside world, and hence, they start searching online. And Arab World Media is reaching them! While they are unable to leave their homes, through the relative confidentiality of Page 2 3. Persecuted Communities Our belief about God and our understanding of the Bible’s teachings make a radical difference in everyday life and decisions. The reality of this is starkly apparent in lands where Christians are being threatened, targeted, imprisoned and killed for their faith. In fact, nine of the top ten countries in the world with the most persecution have majority Muslim populations. Many Muslims are asking questions, including whether or not Christians have answers to their spiritual needs. By the end of 2014, we expect to receive well over 5 million visits to our sites and to be directly engaged with about 12,000 people in personal conversations. In our new online discipleship series on persecution, From the Desert to the Well, we share biblical truths along with personal testimonies from persecuted Christians around the world. This series is designed to strengthen believers from a Muslim background who are under tremendous pressure from their family and culture, like the person who told us, I have studied a lot about Christianity and decided with all my heart to become a Christian. But the environment here makes it very difficult for me. I am hiding my faith even from my family. Our desire is to help these persecuted believers grow in Christ and know His Word, which can strengthen them in their trials. Media enables us to put our love for the persecuted church into action and stand with them in their darkest hours. 4. Seekers The promise that ‘Islam is the solution’ is wearing thin. Arab world Muslims are frustrated and weary. Through this frustration and disillusionment, God is softening hearts and opening doors in former Islamic strongholds. In 2015, we will continue to develop media strategies to better connect and engage with Muslim seekers. Working in partnership with Pioneers’ church-‐planting teams on the ground, we plan to design and develop media content that engages Muslims wherever they are in life—from their first questions about faith to steps toward following Jesus. Our content will focus on Muslims: • who have dreams about Christ • who are searching for peace with God • who are looking for solutions to their problems (marriage, family, health, etc.) • who suffer at the hand of Islam • who ask questions about Islamic doctrine • who now consider themselves as atheist (i.e. 3% of Egypt is now atheist) • who are ready to be challenged by the testimony of others who have gone before them to faith in Christ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.” (John 6:44) Page 3 Financial Need Through the 2015 Love Never Fails Initiative, we hope to raise a total of $400,000. This would enable us to invest $100,000 in each of the four components of the campaign: •
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Victims of War Women at Risk Persecuted Communities Seekers Expected Outcomes Join Us We cannot do this work alone. We need your involvement. Would you prayerfully consider joining us in the 2015 Love Never Fails Initiative? Your financial partnership will greatly impact our media ministry to Arab world Muslims who are disillusioned with Islam and desperate for hope and truth. Together, we can take part in building God’s church. Pioneers’ goals through the 2015 Love Never Fails Initiative are to see Muslims place their faith in Christ and start new Bible studies and fellowships. We hope to achieve these goals through the following outcomes: • Offer 1.5 million victims of war an opportunity to discuss the gospel of Jesus Christ • Give 1 million women access to online self-‐help modules • Provide 1,200 women with personal counseling • Provide 500,000 people with study modules on how to stand firm amidst persecution • Advise, encourage and counsel 1,000 persecuted people • Engage 4 million disenfranchised Muslims in the Arab world with the gospel message, with the aim of seeing face-‐to-‐face interactions between Muslim seekers and our workers In addition, here are some areas where we need your intercessory prayer: • For the displaced and refugee populations in the Arab world, that the Lord would provide for and comfort them. • For the abused and persecuted, that God’s love would surround them. • For our media content, that our messages would be effective and point people to the Truth. Take the Next Step Give online at Pioneers.ca/give-‐online (or click here). Give by mail with cheques payable to Pioneers. Be sure to include a separate note designating your gift to Arab World Media (account P165). Mail to: Pioneers 51 Byron Ave. Dorchester, ON N0L 1G2 Contact us if you have any questions about the 2015 Love Never Fails Initiative or the work of Pioneers. Call or email Alisa Donaldson at: 866 268 8778 [email protected] Page 4